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WIN: Adaptive Reuse of Werner Brothers Storage Building Remains in Updated Redevelopment Plans (Chicago 7 2023)

Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse, 1921, George S. Kingsley, 7613 N. Paulina Street. A 2023 Chicago 7 Most Endangered. Photo credit: Serhii Chrucky

“Plans for an affordable housing development on Howard Street are being tweaked to reduce the amount of apartments and increase the height of the proposed building.

“Development group Housing For All is looking to bring an affordable apartment complex to the corner of Howard and Paulina streets, across from the Howard Red Line station. In the works for at least two years, the plan originally called for 104 apartments in two buildings, one that would be new construction and the other a redevelopment of a historical storage building.

“The developer is now planning for 86 affordable apartments between the corner lot and the old Werner storage building at 7613 N. Paulina St., the team said during a recent community meeting in Rogers Park. The Werner storage building will have 20 apartments: four studios, eight one-bedrooms, five two-bedrooms and three three-bedrooms.

“The earliest plans for the project called for replacing the Werner building, once considered one of the most endangered buildings in the city. Those plans were changed to preserve and reuse the building.” (Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 10/24/24)

Preservation Chicago applauds developer Shelly Tucciarelli of Housing For All for reconsidering the adaptive reuse of the Werner Brothers Storage Building. Additionally, we applaud 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden and community members who strongly advocated for a preservation sensitive alternative for this development.

Planned adaptive reuse of ornate 1921 Werner Bros building into residential is a beautiful blend of affordable housing and historic preservation. Preservation Chicago will do everything we can to support this effort.

Affordability and preservation are strongly symbiotic and mutually beneficial. We consider Werner Brothers Storage Building to be an ideal candidate for affordable housing adaptive reuse. Historic preservation is highly compatible with affordable housing and we strongly encourage the reuse and incorporation of this beautiful historic structure, particularly its terra cotta cladding, into the new construction.

Preservation Chicago believes that affordable housing and transit-oriented development are necessary components of healthy communities. Through collaboration between the local community, developers, and preservationists, we are confident that both goals of providing affordable housing and retaining historic architecture can be met, resulting in an even more successful and dynamic project and more vibrant communities.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

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